Bali to commence thermal power plant development

Denpasar, Bali (ANTARA News) - Bali province is expected to begin the development of a 400-MW thermal power plant (PLTU) around Celukan Bawang port, Beleleng district, in an effort to anticipate power crisis in the tourist resort island.

"The thermal power plant is expected to commence operation in stages in 2008," Public Relations Coordinator of state-owned electricity company PLN, Hendra Saleh said here on Thursday.

He said that the development of the power plant would be done in cooperation with investors and was expected to meet the need for electricity supply of Bali until five to ten years to come.

The PLTU plant will use coal to fire electricity generator so that its operational cost could be lower than other plants in Bali which so far used diesel oil, he said.

He said that the construction of the additional power plant was expected to be completed in 2009. "With additional 400MW, the need for power supply in Bali would be met until five to ten years to come," Saleh said.

So far Bali has been supplied with 580 MW of power supplies, consisting of 200 MW from Java, 130 MW from Gilimanuk power generators, 120 MW from the Pesanggaran diesel power plant and 80 MW from the Pemaron gas-fired plant.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono recently asked PLN to improve its performance by increasing its electricity supply capacity to 10,000 Megawatt over the next four years.

He said Indonesia needed many more power plants so that PLN had to raise its electricity supply capacity to 10,000 Megawatt in the next three or four years.

The president told PLN to do it jointly with other parties.

He said the construction of power plants should not be done in only one or two cities or islands but across the country.